Automatic starter control for internal combustion engines



March 22, 1938. c s JANES 2,111,971

AUTOMATIC STARTER CONTROL FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Sept. 12, 1936 a; l 4 ii 45 45 1 SM Il 6 I 58 P45 a 41 51 Patented Mar. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC STARTER CONTROL FOR IN- TERNAL COMBUSTION ENGILUSS Application September 12, 1936, Serial No. 100,567

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to an automatic starter control for internal combustion engines and more particularly to a starter control embodying special provisions for preventing undesired interruption of the cranking operation.

When starting internal combustion engines in warm weather, it often happens that one or more of the cylinders of the engine will fire spasmodically and then stop firing. If the starter gearing is of the conventional automatically engaging type, this "false start may disconnect the gearing, and if, an automatic starter control is used, the cranking current will be interrupted until the engine and starting motor have come to rest, whereupon the cranking operation will be resumed.

If starter gearing be used which is not disengaged automatically by a false start, it is sometimes preferred to maintain the cranking operation without interruption until a true start is secured, and in that case the automatic starter control used must embody provisions for distinguishing between a false and a true start so as to maintain the starting circuit closed irrespective of false starts.

It is an object of the present invention to provide'a novel automatic starter control embodying provisions for maintaining the cranking operation irrespective of abortive explosions or false starts of the engine.

It is another object to provide such a device in which the cranking circuit is automatically interrupted responsive to self-operation of the engine, which is arranged to hold the cranking circuit closed until the engine is consistently selfoperative.

It is a further object to provide such a device embodying provisions for interposing a time delay betwee'n the inception of self-operation of the engine and the interruption of the cranking circuit, in order to distinguish between a false or abortive start and a. true start.

Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a semi-diagrammatic illustration of one preferred embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a'sirnilar view of a second preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring first to Fig. 1 of the drawing, there is illustrated a starting circuit including a battery I grounded at 2 and connected by a lead 3 to an automatic controlling device indicated generally at numeral 4. As here illustrated, this device consists of a magnetic starting switch 5, one contact 6 of which is connected to the battery lead 3 and the other contact 1 is connected by a lead 8 to a binding post 9 which is connected by a lead H to a starting motor SM which is 5 grounded at l2 to complete the starting circuit. It will be understood that the starting motor SM is connected by any suitable form of automatically engaging and disengaging starter drive to an engine to be started, which structure is 10 not illustrated since it forms no part of the present invention.

According to the present invention, a control circuit is provided for the magnetic starting switch 5 including a manual switch l3 which is 15 preferably the ignition switch of the engine, and is connected by a lead M to the battery lead 3 and by a lead l5 to the solenoid l6 of the magnetic starting switch. The solenoid I6 is connected by a lead I! to a pair of contacts l3, 19, the contact l8 being mounted on a fixed bracket 2|, and contact l9 being mounted on a spring arm 22 anchored and grounded at 23 and provided with a pendulously supported weight 24 at its free end. 2

Means for controlling the contacts l3, I9 is provided in the form of an electromagnetic structure comprising a. coil 25 and an armature 26, which armature is arranged to move a bellcrank lever 21 about a fixed pivot 28 and thereby cause the free end 29 of the lever to engage the weight member 24 on the spring arm 22 and move it backward so as to cfisengage contact l9 from contact I8. The armature 26 is normally main tm'ned in extended position by suitable means 35 such as a spring 3|.

Coil 25 is arranged to be energized from the cranking circuit, and for that purpose is included in a branch circuit including a lead 32 connected to the contact I of the starting switch, 0 contacts 33 and 34 which are normally maintained closed by an adjustable spring device 35, lead 36 and ground lead 31. Means are provided for preventing the energization of coil 25 during the cranking operation in the form of an elec- 45 tromagnetic controlling device for contacts 33, 34 comprising a magnet 38 energized by a single turn 39 of the starting circuit lead 8. The magnet 38 is provided with an armature 41 carrying contact 33, and is arranged to attract said armature and open contacts 33, 34 during heavy current fiow through the cranking circuit, but to release said armature and permit the spring device 35 to close said contacts when the current in the starting circuit is reduced by the release of the cranking load thereon when the engine starts. An adjustment such as indicated at 42 is preferably provided for determining the minimum gap between the armature ll and magnet 88 so as to regulate the amount of current flow necessary to retain the armature in its attracted position.

According to the present invention, means are provided for preventing the opening of the control contacts II. II for apredetermined time after the cranking current is reduced due to the initial explosions of the engine. As above set forth. this time delay is provided for the purpose of distinguishing between a false start and a true start.

" and to maintain the energization of the starting circuituntilatruestartissecured. .Ashe're shown,thismeansisintheformofadashpot indicated generally at numeral 43 comprising a cylinder l4 and a piston ll slidable therein and connectedbyastem 4t tcthe armature Itofthe control relay.

A restricted inlet passage 41 into the cylinder u is provided for admitting air above the piston GI and thereby permitting itto move downward. and adjusting means for such inlet is preferably provided as indicated at ll.

Since it is desirable to permit the armature it to return quickly to its idle position when the coil ll is deenergized in order to set the flexible strip I! in vibration, a check valve it may be provided for permitting rapid egress of the air trapped above the piston 45. This function may also be satisfactorily performed by forming the piston with a flexible cup-shaped obturator as indicated at ll.

Means are provided for maintaining the energiaation of the control relay in order to hold contacts It, It open during self-operation of the engine. As here illustrated, this lock-out means is in the form of a coil '2 energized from an engine-driven generator G by means of a lead II and grounded by means of a lead I! to complete the lock-out circuit.

In the operation of this embodiment of the invention, starting with the parts in idle position as illustrated. closure of ignition switch It causes energisation of solenoid it and consequent closure of the magnetic starting switch 5 whereby crankin oi the engine is initiated. The coil II of the control relay is momentarily energized by closure of the starting switch I, but before any substantial movement of the armature 20 thereof can take place. the heavy flow of current-through the single turn coil It of the cranking circuit opens contacts 88. l4 and deenergizes coil 25.

when the engine fires, the release of the cranking load on the starting circuit weakens the current flowing therethrough so that the magnet is is weakened and permits contacts 33, it to close. Armature 2' of the control relay thereupon begins to move downward in a direction to .open the contacts II, It, but such motion is delayed by the dash pot I so that if the initial explosions of the engine are abortive and the engine does not continue self-operative, the starting motor will pick up the engine and resume cranking. and the heavy cranking current through the single turn coil II will cause the-magnet 88 to open contacts 88, as, thin deenergizing the relay coil 2!, whereupon armature It is returned to its idle podtion by spring Ii.

when the engine becomes continuously selfoperative so that the load on the cranking circuit remain at a low value for a predetermined length of time sumcient to distinguish between a false startandatruestart.thearmature2lofthe control relay moves downwardly, opening contacts is, I! and thereby deenergizing the magnetic starting switch I and opening the starting circuit. Cell 2B of the control relay is thus cut oil from the battery I. but is not completely deenergized since a slight amount of current continues to traverse the coil due to the rotation of the starting motor armature in its residual field. Ample time is thus provided for the generator G to energize the look-out coil l2 and retain armature It in attracted position as long as the engine is selfoperative.

In case of engine stall, the lock-out coil II is deenergised, whereupon armature it is released and snaps back to its normal position. setting the flexible strip 22 in vibration whereby contacts II, II are prevented from eiiective closure for a time interval suiilcient to enable the engine to come completely to rest andprevent engagement of the starting mechanism during a back-rock of the engine.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 2, the elements of the starting circuit are the same as in the embodiment first described. and the elements of the control device are also similar except for the features of the control relay. As here illustrated. the control relay II is provided with a clapper type armature ll pivoted at I1 and arranged to operate a contact arm II by means of a "snap action" in the form of an elastic toggle lost motion connection ll. Contact am It ispivoted and grounded at Ii and carries movable contact 02 corresponding to contact II in the previous embodiment.

Armature M is connected by means of a universal link 68 with one end of a flexible bellows N, the opposite end of which is carried by an adjustably mounted swoon II. A restricted opening it is provided for the bellows. and an adjustable valve member !I is provided for controlling the rate of flow of air through said opening.

The operation of this embodiment of the invention is similar to that previously described except that the bellows 64 forms a unitary retarding means for the armature It in both directions so that in view of the elastic toggle connection between the armature It and the contact arm II, a time delay is provided both for opening and for closing the contacts II, II. It will be readily appreciated that the duration of the two time delays maybe independently varied by adjustment of the support II to vary the tension of the bellows N, whereby it is possible to insure that the time delay between the energisation of the relay coil 2' and the opening of contacts It, I! may always be suilicient to properly distinguish between a false and a true start. and the time interval between the deenergization of the control relay and the closure of contacts ll, '2 may always be suiiicient to allow the engine to come completely to rest.

Although but two embodiments of the invention have been shown and described. it will be understood that other embodiments are possible and that various changes may be made in the forms and arrangements of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automatic starter control. a starting circuit including a magnetic starting switch, a control circuit for closing said starting switch.

'meamincludingasblenoidinserles'inthestart- I ing circuit for energizing said control circuit to initiate cranking of the engine and for deenergizing said control circuit responsive to self-operation of the engine, and means ior delaying ior predetermined times both the energizatlon and deenergization of the control circuit.

2. In an automatic starter control, a starting circuit including a magnetic starting switch, a controlcircuit for closing said starting switch, means including a solenoid in series in the starting circuit for energizing said control circuit in case of engine stall and for deenergizing the control circuit when the engine becomes sell-operative, and unitary means for delaying the energization of the control circuit for a predetermined time after the engine comes substantially to rest, and for delaying the deenergisation o! the control circuit for a predetermined time after the engine becomes self-operative.

3. In an automatic starter control, a starting circuit including a magnetic starting switch, a control circuit therefor including a pair 01 contacts, an electromagnet energized from the starting circuit, an armature movable thereby, a yielding lost motion connection between the armature and said contacts for opening the contacts, means for retarding the motion of the armature to delay opening the contacts for a predetermined time after energization of the electromagnet, and means for delaying effective closure 0! the contacts for a predetermined time after release of the armature.

CLINTON B. JANEB. 

